Stories of Sodor's connections
by Christopher Perkins
Summary: Lily moves in with her Grandpa Stone, and her world gets turned upside down, why are there talking trains, and who is this county boy that helps her grandpa? (I suck at summaries, Sorry!) This will not have Thomas/Lady as I believe it is an overused trope, I merely put Lady as one of the characters as she will have a large role in the story.
1. Thomas and the Magic Railway Pt 1

_**This is a story about a Magic Railway, the people on both sides of it, and how it was saved from destruction by sinister forces.**_

* * *

Our story begins on the Island of Sodor, a magical place where dreams come true, and, of course, the engines talk. It started as any other morning would have, Sir Topham Hatt briefed his engines on their work for the day and they set about doing it, but today was a special day, Sir Topham was leaving on holiday that night and was waiting for a friend to take over for him until he returned, Mr Conductor, normally he would not need to call him in, but with Diesel 10 on the Island, he was taking no chances.

* * *

We turn to the other side of the Magic Railway, very far from Sodor, is my hometown, Shining Time; Mother was the stationmaster and Father was the engineer for the railway's main engine that served Shining Time and the rest of the branch, my best friend was Mr Conductor, the smallest person alive at nearly two inches tall, his main transportation was the Gold Dust in his whistle. That morning I was touching up some of the paint on the walls of the station before I was to head up to Muffle Mountain to help Bernet Stone take care of his place, his granddaughter was supposed to arrive late today, and though I was curious to meet her, she was to come in long after I left for the day, when Mr Conductor popped out of his house "Ah good morning Christopher." he remarked.

I smiled back "Good morning Mr C, today's the day you leave for Sodor right?" I asked, I thought so, but after working for as long as I had, you tend to forget small things

Mr Conductor chuckled "Yes it is, one day I'd like to take you there if your parents don't mind, but the travels between have been getting bumpier for some time now." he replied as his face fell.

"Is that a problem?" I asked, concerned for my friend.

His smile returned "Don't worry yourself, I'm sure it will sort itself out soon enough. I must be off, good luck Chris."

I nodded "Same for you Mr C."

I finished touching up the walls and headed up to Muffle Mountain, Mr Stone was not in his house like he usually was, so I thought he would be in his "secret" workshop, I never told anyone about it, he did seem surprised that I found him "How did you find me?" he asked.

"I found the entrance to this place almost a year ago, I've never told anyone and I don't even know what is down here," I informed him.

He gestured to the switch on the wall. "Flip that on"

Obliging, I saw a small 0-4-0 tank engine, I could not recognise her livery, purple with gold lining, but considering her name was Lady, I had a fairly good idea as to whom had built her. "She is named in honour of your wife isn't she?" his sad nod affirming my thoughts, so I tried to get his mind off the subject, "Your granddaughter is coming today isn't she?" I asked

He nodded "Yes, Lily is coming today, sorry you won't be able to meet her until tomorrow."

I shrugged "It's alright sir, I suspect I would be too boring for her to pay much notice, what with being a big city girl, not much a country boy would be able to do to warrant her interest." I replied.

Bernet chuckled "I think you are trying to get out of meeting a girl Chris,"

I scoffed "I doubt very much I would be of any interest to her in any capacity, and you know why I've not gone out with any of the girls from school, bloody airheads the lot of them, I don't know why mother insists I give any of them a chance."

By now Bernet was full on laughing after a bout of laughter he replied "Stacy just wants grandchildren,"

"And she can pester me when I'm older, I'm only ten!" I exclaim

"Yes" he muttered "The same age as Lily." he then got a look in his eyes

I quickly figured what he was thinking of "No, you are not going to set me up with your granddaughter without her interest and consent."

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and I was on my way home, above the station. Mother was with a young girl when she waved me over "Chris, Lily here got on the wrong train and should be at Muffle Mountain with her Grandpa Stone, could you take her." she asked.

"Of course, Mr Stone might wonder when I come up twice in a day, but he'll be glad to see her," I said and waited for her to walk away. "I'm Christopher, that was my Mother, I work for your Grandpa daily, I'll be happy to take you there," I told her.

"I'm Lily, how will we get there? I mean you can't drive." She said

I shrugged "Ever ridden a horse before?" I asked.

As soon as we set off, she gripped me tightly, I didn't need to see her face to tell she was terrified. "Relax, I won't let anything happen to you, I'd much rather injure myself than see someone such as yourself is injured," I called to her, bringing Patch, my horse, to slow his pace, this seemed to calm her slightly.

"Thank you, I'm sorry, I must seem rude," she said with… regret I think.

I turned to face her "Hardly, you've never ridden a horse before, I should've started out much slower, it is I whom should apologise."

Her face softened "There is no need to," she said softly and we said very little for a time.

Her words had disturbed me for some time, finally, I had to ask her "Why do you seem sad Lily? Is there something I could do to help you?"

For a moment she said nothing, I thought that I might have breached a subject that she didn't like to talk about, but before I could change the subject she replied "It's never been the same since Grandma died, and now that this is a permanent move, I don't know if I'll fit in."

I was confused "Your Grandpa didn't mention that you would be living with him, he's just said it was a visit." She sighed, I thought it best to stop "Perhaps you would like to stop." after she slowly nodded I helped her down, we were in a field and I noticed she seemed emotional, so I pulled out a blanket to sit upon.

She seemed grateful for the break, "Thank you, I just…" she could barely speak as tears appeared in her eyes, my heart softened and I took her hand. The small gesture seemed to help as she continued "I was sure that I would not find anyone here with whom I would befriend."

"I will be here for you, all you have to do is ask for me, and I will hurry to you," I told her.

She smiled at me and for a time I was mesmerized by her beauty, but she soon broke my train of thought as she replied "Thank you, are you sure you wouldn't tire of it too quickly, I feel as though I would be calling you up often,"

I shrugged "Call and I shall come, this I promise to you," I replied, "And my word is my honour."

She thanked me and we resumed our journey to her grandpa's. Mr Stone was surprised to see for the second time that day but his expression softened when he saw Lily, I could see that my job was done for the day and so I set off for home, what I could not predict, however, was what was happening over on Sodor, and that Lily and I would be needed soon.

* * *

Mr Conductor arrived on the Island of Sodor on time, sort of. He was there at the right time, but instead of being at Knapford, like he was supposed to be, he was at Tidmouth Halt, thankfully Thomas was approaching "Mr Conductor, thank goodness you're here," he said.

"Hello Thomas, Jim, Byron, I appear to need a lift to Knapford." Mr Conductor remarked.

Jim, Thomas' Driver, called to Mr Conductor "Come aboard, we're on our way there ourselves."

Soon Mr Conductor was at Knapford Station and had thankfully caught Sir Topham before he left for his holiday. "Sir I apologise for my tardiness, I appeared at Tidmouth instead of here," Mr Conductor said.

Sir Topham waved him off "No harm done, Lady Hatt was getting impatient but I had to warn you about Diesel 10 in person."

Mr Conductor forced himself to suppress a shutter, he knew that name, Diesel 10 had tried and failed to destroy the Magic Railway years ago causing the engine of it to become the "Lost" engine. "Yes sir?" he asked.

"I have Diesel 10 relegated to the scrapyards, if he is elsewhere though, do as you see fit." Sir Topham replied.

Mr Conductor nodded and set about working, considering the lateness of the hour, Mr Conductor set about arranging his sleeping mat in Knapford Sheds, considering that the sheds were undergoing minor repairs along the western wall, Mr Conductor decided that it would be the best place to keep an eye on the engines and if he needed the help, he would have the numbers behind him.

That night most of the engines were asleep, Mr Conductor was laying in bed with one of his new books and a mug of cocoa. All of a sudden, a very loud bang was heard by everyone, Diesel 10 had torn down the scaffolding on the western wall. "Well, well, well, look what we have here,"

Mr Conductor grabbed his whistle "Oh no, you will not catch me…" he yelled before blowing his whistle, but instead of disappearing, his gold dust simply sputtered around him.

"Sparkle's all gone, too bad, now I've got you where I want you." Diesel 10 replied, cackling.

Mr Conductor thought fast, then he saw it, he grabbed his bag of sugar and held it up to Diesel 10 threatening to pour it into his fuel tank, successfully driving him off, but his problem with his gold dust weighted on his mind, while he knew it was possible to restore his supply, it had never been done since the Lost Engine had become just that, lost, and certainly not while he was a Conductor, he resolved to work on the mystery in the morning.

Early the next morning, after Mr Conductor set the engines about work, he started out towards the windmill, his family had told him that if ever there was a problem related to the gold dust to go there. Rather than risking his sense of direction fouling up, he caught a ride with Toby, as he had to make a delivery there anyways. It was mid-morning by the time that Mr Conductor reached the windmill, he saw what he was looking for, engraved on the side of the windmill was a short poem of sorts "Stoke up the magic in the mountain and the Lady will smile, then watch the swirls turn as the life returns." Mr Conductor knew he needed help, he could only hope that perhaps Christopher would be able to. With that in mind, Mr Conductor found a Bluebell, one that would allow him to talk to Christopher.

* * *

On the other side of the Magic Railway, I was sitting near a river on Mr Stone's property when I heard the call of a bell, walking over to the sound, I pulled out the Bluebells and held one to my ear and spoke into the other one. "Mr C? Is everything alright?" I asked.

"No Chris, everything's not alright, I need you to come to the Island of Sodor. Do you still have that whistle I gave you for your fourth birthday?" he asked.

"Aye," it soon connected in my mind what he wanted me to do, "That whistle has some gold dust in it and I can use it to come to you, right?"

"Partially, you need to be at my house in the station for it to work. Good Luck."

I let the Bluebells drop to the ground and I went to find Mr Stone. Not surprisingly, I found him with his Granddaughter, "Mr Stone, I need to help Mr Conductor, I am sorry."

He waved it off "I understand, he has a very important job."

Lily was curious, "Grandpa, can I go with him?"

At that moment, I had a thousand thoughts running through my head, I was not opposed to additional help, but I wondered how she would handle the engines of Sodor. However, her grandpa answered before I could, "I have no objections if Chris doesn't mind."

"Not at all," I replied. And with that, we saddled up on Patch and started to Shining Time.


	2. Thomas and the Magic Railway Pt 2

For the second time in as many days, Lily and I rode Patch. She seemed to be getting used to riding a horse as my waist was not being held in a death grip. Soon, we reached Shining Time and we walked over to the mural that Lily had been sitting next to when we met yesterday, this brought confusion to her face, "Why are we here?" she asked.

I pulled out the whistle, much like Mr C, I always had it on me, I then looked at her and held out my hand, "Hold my hand and don't let go."

She obliged and then I blew it, the Gold Dust swirled around us and we started down Mr C's railway to Sodor, as we were flying she grew quite confused "What is going on?" she demanded.

I turned my head to her, "We're on Mr Conductor's Railway on our way to the Island of Sodor, and before you say anything, I am not crazy, I mean we are currently flying down a railway line. Looks to be in bad shape, must be what he was talking about with the journey getting worse." I said, muttering the last part just before we hit a bad spot. "Good gracious, definitely not as smooth as it should be now is it?"

Lily shook her head "No, most certainly not,"

We approached the end of the line and the portal opened and we flew out and hit the ground, we started to climb the hill in front of us, once we got to the top we could hear the engines chattering. Lily asked, "What is that?"

I was looking around getting my bearings to try to get to one of the engines and I told her "The engines, they talk." then I saw a path to the line "This way."

Once we were lineside a blue tank engine came towards us, I remembered that Mr C referred to him as Thomas, I began waving him down and it seemed to work, "Do I know you?" he asked.

I shook my head, "No but we have a mutual friend, I need to find Mr Conductor right away, it is very important."

One of his crew, the driver I think hollered to me, "Climb on, we're on our way past the windmill where he is, you'll have to jump out though,"

I nodded "Right, come on Lily."

She was partially dumbfounded that I held a conversation with a train and, with me pulling her on, came aboard, it didn't take long before we came to the windmill, I estimated where we would have to jump and pulled Lily with me, unfortunately, she landed on top of me. I was still recovering from the fact that I landed and was landed on when Mr C came up to us, "You alright Chris?"

"Never better sir," I groaned, I wasn't really but played it off.

Thankfully Mr C helped Lily off of me so I could stand up, "I am Mr Conductor, you are?" he asked at Lily

"Lily, I am living with my Grandpa on Muffle Mountain and decided to come with Chris," she replied.

I turned around, taking in the sights "What seems to be wrong Mr C?" I asked, such a beautiful place didn't seem to be in danger.

Mr C sighed "Between my Gold Dust running out and Diesel 10 on the Island, it is best not to take chances." I was confused about Diesel 10, but continued listening "Here at the windmill there is a clue as to the source of the Gold Dust, but I don't know what it means."

I looked at him "What is the clue?"

"Stoke up the magic in the mountain and the Lady will smile, then watch the swirls turn as the life returns. I have no idea what it means," he replied.

I shrugged "Search me, but somehow, I have a feeling that it is plain in front of us. What about this Diesel 10? What is his problem?"

Mr C shook his head "He wants to destroy the Magic Railway, he nearly succeeded many years ago, but he caused the Lost Engine to become lost and since there is no engine on our railway, our universe will crumble, not even Shining Time will be safe."

I nodded "Mother mentioned this morning that after you had left things were going pear-shaped, Father's engine ran late for the first time ever yesterday."

He paled at this, in the forty years that Father had run the line, he had never been late, thanks in part to the Conductor family. "Then it's already starting, we must hurry." we were going to take off when we heard the rumble of a diesel engine, "Hide!" Mr C ordered, and we hid in the bushes, Mr C tried to run, but he was too weak and Diesel 10 arrived.

"Ha, Twinkle Toes, looks like you've forgotten the sugar, too bad," he said, before grabbing Mr C with his claw, I held Lily back, she wanted to help, but we couldn't do anything but watch, at first she struggled but saw the futility of her actions and stopped. Diesel 10 looked around but saw no one, "No one is here to save you Twinkle Toes, not even the Blue Puffball," and it was then that he shut his claw and crushed Mr C before dropping him and taking off.

As soon as Diesel 10 was out of sight, both Lily and I ran up to him, some of the Mill workers rushed up to help us, we tried our best but soon Mr C put his whistle in my hands and shut his eyes, I felt for a pulse but couldn't find one, an Ambulance arrived shortly from somewhere called Tidmouth but they came to the same conclusion I had and offered their condolences, thinking that we were his kids. We were given a lift by the Ambulance crew to Tidmouth Station and decided that we would go to the Sheds to tell the others.

Thomas met us at Tidmouth "Hello again, did you find Mr Conductor?" he asked.

Tears came to Lily's eyes and I squeezed her hand, "I think it's best to gather the other engines before we say anything, Thomas."

Thomas was confused but agreed, getting us to Knapford Sheds where all of the Engines were getting ready to rest, the brown tram engine, Toby, asked Thomas "Is Mr Conductor with you?"

I hopped out of Thomas' cab, "I am afraid Mr Conductor is not with us anymore Toby." some of the larger engines got defensive "Who are you?" demanded the big blue Pacific, whom I found out was Gordon.

"I am Christopher Twofeathers, a friend of Mr Conductor and one of the last people to see him," I replied.

Percy, the green saddle tank engine, asked: "What do you mean, is he safe?"

I pondered his question for a moment before Lily's tears brought me back "I am afraid Mr Conductor has passed away, murdered by Diesel 10."

The engines were in shock, it was clear to me that they knew Diesel 10 was a bad engine, but they did not expect that he would actually kill Mr C. I held his whistle in my hand, I am not sure what possessed me to do what I did next, but it was for the best, I blew his whistle and suddenly I was engulfed in sparkle and felt things changing, once it settled, the engines and Lily gasped in shock, for I was dressed as Mr Conductor. I pulled off the hat and saw a note in it. It read "Christopher, if you are reading this, I am gone and you are now the new Mr Conductor, I hope you can solve the mystery and restore the magic- Mr Conductor." I read it aloud to the engines and they were rightfully shocked, as was I.

Very little more was said between everyone, Lily and I stayed where Mr C had made his arraignments, near the corner of the shed. I was staring out into the night, trying to sort out what to do when I heard a shiver, I turned to see Lily shivering in the cold. Grabbing a blanket, I wrapped it around her and whispered "It wouldn't do to have you catch a cold, now would it,"

As she leaned against me for added warmth she whispered: "What are we going to do?"

I took off my hat and rubbed my brow "Well, we need to find this 'Lady' and 'stoke up the magic in the mountain' and…" that is when it hit me "Lady! That's it, Lily, tomorrow you need to go to your grandfather with a truck of Coal from Sodor, he has an engine named Lady, she would be in his workshop in the mountains, once she is fired, we'll take stock of where we are, and go from there."

Thomas peeped up "But how would she get there? You are out of Gold Dust, aren't you?"

I shot up, the pieces connecting in my mind. "The buffers, Lily can take one of you through the Conductor's Railway with the coal truck." I then remembered that I still had Father's map from when I had painted the Shining Time Station sign a week back and fumbled through my pockets until I brought it out. Many of the big engines were saying how they would be the ones to pull the truck, but then as I studied the map, I spoke up "I need a volunteer from the tank engines, you guys would be small enough to fit along some of the bends to get to Mr Stone's workshop."

There was much grumbling amongst the large engines, then Thomas spoke up, "I'll try,"

After that, things settled and the engines went to sleep, but Lily was still awake, as was I. I did not want to be killed by Diesel 10 in my sleep, so I started to familiarize myself with the Island and the work that the engines would need to do. It was early in the morning, probably two in the morning, when I heard shuffling and saw that Lily was still awake. "Lily, you should sleep," I whispered as I stood and walked over to her.

Once I got close, however, I could see the streams of tears that had run down her face, "I don't know if I can do this Christopher,"

This brought on a new onslaught of tears and, not being able to bear seeing her in such a state, I wrapped my arms around her and began comforting her, I first thought she was worried about me, so I said that I would be safe, then it struck me, during our trip down the Magic Railway she seemed unnerved when there was silence. "Are you afraid when there is silence?" I asked. Her nod confirming my theory, "Lily, if there was another way, then, believe me, I would do it, and trust me, you are not the only one afraid, I am worried what will happen once Diesel 10 finds out about me, that is why I am sending you to help your grandpa, if I can keep him busy, then you will be able to solve the riddle without me."

At some point during my talk, she had fallen asleep, so as not to disturb her, I stayed in that spot until morning. Once she awoke, she and Thomas set off for the mines to collect the coal truck and set off down the Magic Railway, whilst I took up working in the Fat Controller's office in Knapford Station; during that time the telephone rang. "Yes… oh, Sir Topham Hatt sir… I'm afraid Mr Conductor is indisposed right now… yes, sir, I can do that sir… goodbye sir." as I set the phone down I knew I would not be able to cover for Mr C forever, as the calendar said that the Fat Controller was due home in two days time, at that time, I would have to tell him of Mr C demise and my ascension to the position. However, first I would have to deal with Diesel 10, and that was certainly easier said than done, I knew I would not be able to confront him successfully until Lily came back.

I finished most of my work at Knapford and went to the little Grotto near the buffers to wait for Lily and, I hoped, her grandpa, I wouldn't have to wait long for no sooner had I arrived then Lady puffed out and I heard Lily over the puffing "We're on the Island of Sodor, stop near the Grotto grandpa."

Lady came to a stop at the Grotto and Lily and Mr Stone walked out, Lily embraced me, happy to see that I was alright. I didn't say a word to Lily since her grandpa came up to us "Mr Stone," I said.

His confusion quite apparent Mr Stone asked, "Christopher? What are you doing wearing Mr Conductor's clothes?"

I would have answered but Thomas came through the portal and we heard a sound that ran our blood cold, Diesel 10's engine "Hah, it's the Blue Puffball, and look who he is with."

Acting fast Mr Stone ran into Lady's cab whilst I jumped into Thomas' "We won't let you both down this time," Mr Stone exclaimed.

Both Lady and Thomas took off like rockets, I was worried as we were driving little steam engines whilst running from a Diesel, but the Universe seemed to side with us as we kept the chase going for some time, passing through stations, leaving confused people and worried engines behind us. I popped my head out of Thomas' cab once and Diesel 10 saw "Ahh, there is a new Twinkle Toes, I'll kill you like I did the other one."

That made my blood boil, but it was Mr Stone who answered, "No you won't Diesel, because the Magic that grants you existence, will get the better of you!"

We led Diesel 10 on a merry chase around the Island, soon though, I saw Lady turn off down a Branch, with Bernet waving us over, I soon saw why, the Viaduct was collapsing, but Thomas was on the same track as Diesel 10, if we followed, so would he. Thomas realised this and made his choice, we thundered past the Branch with Diesel 10 hot on our heels, "Mr Conductor, you better jump clear," He said.

I patted the side of his cab "No Thomas, this is our shining time, let's make the sun dark."

The collapsing part of the Viaduct was at the third arch, I estimated Diesel 10 would pass over it at least ten seconds after us, I just hoped that would give enough time to have enough of the arch collapse to make him fall into the valley below. Sure enough, I felt the massive dip in the rails as we passed over the part where the Viaduct had completely fallen, and then a miracle happened. The entire arch fell away and Diesel 10 could not stop in time and plummeted to the valley below, my joy could hardly be contained "Well done Thomas! Well done!" I shouted.

Soon we reunited with Mr Stone and Lily at the Grotto, Lily could not let go of either of us, afraid we would do something foolish again. However, Thomas said what was weighing on our minds "Mr Conductor, you still don't have any Gold Dust,"

Lady spoke up, "He will soon," when we all turned to her, she explained, "What else does an engine need to run?"

It clicked "Water," I murmured, rushing over to the well that was at the grotto and pulled up the bucket.

Lily brought out a bag of shavings, "These came off the Magic Railway as Lady ran on it," she said.

Byron had brought out a plate from Thomas' cab, I knew what had to be done "Mix the shavings with the water and throw it up into the air Lily." I said.

She did so, I prayed to every deity I could think of as she threw it up, and then the Gold Dust began to fall into my whistle. I embraced her. The two engine crew decided to excuse themselves by checking on Thomas while Bernet just smiled and waited. However, it was the ringing of Bluebells that interrupted us, I walked over to them and picked them up "Hello… Yes, sir… that good news sir… I will meet you at the sheds in a moment to explain everything, sir… goodbye, sir." I then turned to them and said: "Well, I must be off to the sheds, Sir Topham Hatt has returned early and I must tell him about what has happened, Mr stone, could you and Lily meet me there and bring Lady with you, I would like to join you heading back." Mr Stone nodded and so I brought my whistle up and blew it, using the Gold Dust to transport myself to Knapford sheds. Where I found a very surprised Sir Topham Hatt.

"Good evening sir, I am the man you spoke with on the telephone today, my name is Christopher Twofeathers, I am a friend of Mr Conductor," I said.

Sir Topham looked around "And where is Mr Conductor?"

I looked down and told him everything that had happened since I arrived on the Island. By the end of my story Sir Topham looked grim, "I wish you the best of luck in continuing the Conductor legacy," and with that, he turned and left. Thankfully, Lily and Mr Stone arrived and we started back to Muffle Mountain, I knew something would change, I just didn't know what would.


	3. The Beginning of something Grand

Mr Stone had us stop at the Grotto, we needed to fill Lady's water tanks for the return journey. Both Lily and I had offered to help, but Mr Stone refused, saying that it was something he needed to do once more. That left myself and Lily in the cab, waiting patiently for him to finish; we hadn't said much to that point, but Lily broke the silence "What will happen now that you are Mr Conductor?"

I thought about it for a moment "Nothing needs to change, my promise still stands," I pondered for a moment on what to do, then it came to me "May I see your Bluebird?"

She passed it to me and I spread some Gold Dust on it "Now you'll be able to signal me at any time." I remarked as the Bluebird glowed, "And I will always come, no matter where you may be."

Soon, Mr Stone climbed back into the cab and we set off down the Magic Railway once more, I quickly noticed the change "Last time we went down here, it was dark and surrounded by trees, now though, it looks beautiful."

Lily smiled at me and quoted Mr C, "'Watch the swirls turn as the life returns' remember?"

I chuckled "Too true Lily,"

It was then that we passed through the portal on the other side, but to my shock, I was Mr C's size "Well this bites," I remarked.

Mr Stone and Lily turned to face me and had to search for a second before realizing what had happened. "Chris, are you okay?" Lily asked.

"I'll be fine Lily, I am more worried about how I am going to explain this to Mother and Father," I replied.

Mr Stone spoke up "Why don't we come with you, since, between Lily and I, we saw everything, it may help your parents accept it."

I could see the wisdom in it and blew my whistle to take us to Shining Time. Mother was behind her desk and heard the distinctive sound the Gold Dust made and, without looking up, remarked "Welcome back Mr C, you're home early,"

I looked at Lily and her grimace told me everything, so I replied "Not quite Mother,"

Her head jerked up and searched for me, before spotting me on her desk "Christopher! What happened?" she asked.

We began our retelling of what had happened, I told her about what happened at the windmill as Lily began tearing up, Mother sat in shock. By the time we finished, Father had heard most all of it and was able to figure out the rest. "So, you are the new Mr Conductor then," he said.

Bernet nodded and I vocalised it "Yes, I am," I then looked at Lily and said, "I need to take Lily and Mr Stone home now, then I think I need some rest, it's been a long day."

And with that, I blew my whistle and took them home, Mr Stone headed straight to bed, but Lily asked me to stay for a few minutes, to which I obliged. Soon enough, Lily and I were talking softly, mostly about the happenings of the last few days, then she stilled for a moment, I thought she might have fallen asleep, but then she said: "Chris, we should probably talk about what happened at the Grotto and the sheds." I was perplexed, and my expression made it clear to Lily that I haven't a clue as to what she was talking about. She explained, "When we embraced firstly to comfort me, then at the Grotto when I was happy to see you alright."

I was still perplexed, "What are you saying, Lily?"

She looked down and muttered something which I doubt I would have normally heard, but it seemed that the Conductors had enhanced hearing, considering I heard her say "It was the happiest I had been, and I can't even tell why,"

I gripped her hand, once I got over to her, "Why can't you tell me why?"

She looked at me and said, "Because I just can't."

I replied, "Then you don't have to tell me, but if you ever change your mind, you know how to call me."

She smiled and whispered "I'll keep that in mind. I kept you much longer than you probably planned,"

I shook my head "I had no plan for how long we would talk, I figured we would talk until you felt tired enough to sleep, then and only then would I head to my new home in the Conductor's house."

She smiled and said "Goodnight Chris,"

"Goodnight Lily," I replied before whistling out.

That night, I couldn't rest, I laid in bed pondering Lily's words, my mind spinning with possibilities as to what she was on about. However, it was equally distracted by the mere thought of her. Finally giving up on sleeping that night, I made myself a very early breakfast and walked around Mr C's, now my, house. I tried to distract myself from any more thoughts that night, but more often than not, my mind would wander back to Lily, thinking of how she helped me, whilst barely knowing me at all, but in truth, that was very little of my thoughts about her, most of them were just her, her beauty, compassion and how she managed to scramble most of my thoughts.

Soon people started arriving at the station, most didn't notice the change between Mr C and myself and those that did, spoke in hushed tones. I barely noticed as I was concentrating on ensuring things ran like always, but even this was not enough to keep my mind off of the thought of Lily. Mother noticed but decided to wait until lunch to mention it, and even then, I was dismissive of it, saying that I was just adjusting to the position. However, later in the day, I was tending to some of the flower baskets and I heard Lily's voice amongst the crowd. Looking intently, I soon found her and waved to her. She saw me and waved back, then returned to talking with my mother. I couldn't hear exactly what they were talking about, but I had work to do.

I finished all of my work and saw Lily sitting next to my house on the mural, so I whistled over to her and sat on the railing, "Good day Lily," I said.

She smiled back at me and I was caught in her beauty. "Good day Chris, how are you adjusting?" she asked.

I sighed "Not as well as I hoped, I couldn't really sleep last night."

Lily was concerned, "Did I keep you up too much?"

I pondered her question, debating whether or not to tell her the whole truth. My senses told me to do so "In a way, perhaps," I replied. Lily looked ashamed, "Not in the way you are probably thinking of, it was not really our conversation that kept me awake, rather it was the thought of you and all that you have done for me that kept me awake,"

Lily's confusion could almost be felt in the air, so I explained: "The fact of the matter is that you helped me when, for all purposes, I was a complete stranger to you."

Lily shrugged "You offered the same to me,"

I remembered my promise to her and that it was made maybe ten minutes after we first met, "Point made, however, you did not have to return with your grandpa with Lady since you knew about Diesel 10, I almost would have preferred that you stay safe."

She scoffed "Your concern is touching, but I can take care of myself,"

I nodded "I agree, however, you knew less than me, and I knew very little. However, you were instrumental in the replenishing of the supply of Gold Dust, you're right of course."

Considering my defeated tone, I was not surprised when Lily turned to face me square on, "Chris I didn't mean to be harsh, I'm sorry, I'm just…"

As she trailed off, I knew it had to do with the thing she wouldn't tell me last night, "Remember, when you're ready, not a moment sooner," I then thought for a moment, "If I may be so bold, what were you and my mother discussing?"

She smiled, "We were just talking about you, I wanted to know more, so I thought I should talk to your mother. Well, grandpa suggested it." my face turned contemplative and Lily noticed, "Is something wrong Chris?"

I waved it off "Perhaps not, but my senses are telling me otherwise. It's probably nothing and I am overthinking things, how have you been adjusting?"

"Quite well, I mean I didn't become Mr Conductor, I just found out that there is a place where trains talk, nothing big," she remarked. I rolled my eyes and she noticed, "I know that sounds sarcastic, but compared to you, I've not had my world turned upside down."

"Yet," I mutter. Then I thought a moment "What about moving in with your grandpa, that hasn't turned your world upside down, after all, that is how you met me and came to find out about Sodor."

She nodded "Point taken,"

At that point, mother walked up to us and said "Lily, your grandpa wants to know if you'll be home for dinner,"

Lily looked at me as if I held the answer, and when I didn't say anything she replied: "I'll do my best, oh dear, I'll be late."

I shook my head and pulled out my whistle, "Not if I can help it," I then turned to mother, "Don't worry, if I am not back soon, assume I've stayed at Mr Stone's," before blowing my whistle.

We appeared at Mr Stone's place just in time and he did not even appear fazed at our sudden appearance, even seeming to expect it. "Hello Chris, are you settling well?" he asked.

I nodded, "As well as I can be,"

He gestured to the dining table, "I've prepared a place for you at the table, I used to host the Conductor family for dinner once in a while, so I've remembered how to serve someone your size."

I was touched "Thank you Mr Stone, only if it is not an inconvenience to yourself or Lily,"

Mr Stone chuckled, "Hardly, it would be a pleasure to have you, right Lily?"

"Yes indeed," Lily said as she nodded vigorously.

Dinner was a quiet affair, Mr Stone asking me questions about how I was settling as the new Mr C, while Lily remained relatively quiet, only asking a few questions every now and then. I left soon after, needing to actually sleep tonight.

* * *

Soon after Chris left, grandpa and I were sitting in the living room, he was reading one of his railway books while I was thinking about Chris. It took me a while, therefore, to notice that grandpa had stopped reading and was looking at me, "What is it, grandpa?" I asked.

He chuckled, "I don't have to be a mind-reader to know you are thinking about Chris,"

I blushed out of embarrassment, if grandpa could tell, perhaps Chris would too, "What makes you think that?" I asked, trying to misdirect him.

He shook his head "Because I've been through the same things with your grandmother, I've seen how you look at him, even when he wasn't Mr Conductor. It's the same way I looked at your grandmother." I thought he was going to scold me for misleading him, but instead, he asked: "Does he make you happy?"

I nodded, "I think I am reaching my decision, and I think I do love him, I just don't know if he feels the same way," I replied.

Grandpa shrugged "I didn't when I first asked your grandmother to dance, you never do know until you ask."

I decided to talk to him about it in the morning, hoping that he would feel the same way towards me.

* * *

Much like Lily, I had a lot on my mind that night and would have stewed all night if Mutt hadn't come in "Well hello there Mutt, what are you doing around at this hour?" I said, Mr C always seemed to understand Mutt, and it seemed it was tied to being Mr Conductor as I found out Mutt sensed that I was restless. "Well I've got a lot on my mind old friend, remember Lily, of course you will, you led her here, I think there is something between us," he barked a question that I had not thought of "No, I did not think of that, though now that you mention it, I do feel that, what does it mean?" A short bark was his reply and I could not believe him "Really Mutt, you think I've fallen for her?" and he nodded. That got me thinking, Mutt did make a convincing argument, a statement I never thought I would consider, and the pieces did lineup. "I'll talk with her in the morning, perhaps she reciprocates these feelings. Goodnight Mutt," I said before whistling into my little house and sleeping all night.

* * *

The next morning could not come fast enough for either of us. Lily ate an early breakfast and left a note for her grandpa before saddling up on Patch and riding down to the station. She arrived mere moments after I exited my house to start work before I caught sight of her walking up to me. "Lily? Oh, you have good timing, I wanted to speak with you," I said.

Lily seemed stunned, "You did? So did I,"

I was quite surprised, "So, who goes first? Would you like to, or would you rather I do?"

Lily looked far-away for a moment before replying "I feel as though I should, or I won't be able to tell you."

I nodded and gestured for her to continue, however, she fiddled with her sleeve, quite nervously, before sighing "Why did I think I could do this?" then she started to cry.

I blew my whistle and appeared on her shoulder, "Would you like me to go first then?" I asked, and she nodded, "Well, Mutt helped me understand this, but ever since we met, I've felt… different, I guess is the word I'd use,"

She looked at me, "Different how?"

"More like different why? Since the how is difficult for me to explain, and the keywords were 'since we've met' Lily, I don't quite know how to phrase it," I replied.

Lily looked at me and we shared a look, "I do Chris," she said before lowering her voice to barely above a whisper, "I love you."

I looked at her and could sense that that was what she wanted to tell me, "I love you too, Lily"

We probably would have kissed if it wasn't for the massive size difference, however, we did recognise that we would have to get creative, "What does this mean for us? I mean you're small," Lily said.

I looked at her and said, "I did some reading this morning over breakfast, it turns out there was a previous Mr Conductor that had fallen in love with a full-sized person and he took her to Sodor one day when he proposed and when they came back, she was the same size as he."

Her eyes brighten at that, "I guess if we want to go out, we'll have to go to Sodor then,"

I nodded, "Or I have dinner with you and your grandpa," but then I thought for a moment, "But I suppose we would like to get away from our parents most of the time."

Lily chuckled, "I would think so,"

Just then we heard my mother calling for me to get to work, "Gotta go, maybe I could come up for dinner tonight? If that is alright with you and Mr Stone,"

Lily nodded "I'd like that."

And with that, I began the workday, but also, Lily and I started our relationship.


	4. An Island of dreams

The day was going as normal, the birds were singing, and I could understand them, Mother was being kept busy as always, and the train ran to time. Soon lunchtime came and I stopped to eat, I chose to eat with my mother at her desk. "Did you see Ms Morrison? She seemed happy," mother remarked.

"Oh yes, I think that perhaps Mr Palmer finally asked her out. I mean, we've only been suggesting it for, what six months now?" I replied.

Mother nodded, "I think you're right, she held herself in such a way that makes me think you are right, I mean, she did walk the same way that Lily did this morning," she mentioned. I had a feeling she had seen Lily after we talked, "Did you ask her out?"

I simply nodded. Mother seemed overjoyed with it, "Tonight I will probably be heading up to Mr Stone's for dinner; I plan to follow traditions," I informed her. And with that, we set back to gossiping over lunch.

* * *

I went home to find grandpa waiting in the doorway "Well, what did he say?" he asked

I shrugged "We both decided to follow our feelings," I replied.

Grandpa smiled, "I knew it,"

I looked at him and smiled, "It wasn't that I needed convincing, it was that I lacked the confidence to make the first move."

Grandpa cocked his head a little "So Chris made the first move?"

"Not quite," I replied. After seeing grandpa's confusion I said "We can invite him up for dinner so we can explain to you, if you would like," to which he nodded and, after getting dinner ready, I went to my room to change and signal Chris.

* * *

The rest of the day went uneventfully and, at five pm exactly, I got the signal of the Bluebird. So I whistled my way up to Mr Stone's and was greeted by him in the living room "Hello Mr C,"

"Evening Mr Stone, how has your day been?" I replied.

"Quiet, I understand that yours has been anything but?" he remarked.

I nodded, "Correct, barely got out of my house before Lily found me and we both needed to talk to the other, so it worked out."

Mr Stone chuckled "Yes, I was hoping that over dinner you and Lily will be able to clear up exactly what happened for a curious grandfather," then he stood up, "Speaking of which, I don't recall it taking this long for a woman to dress for a date, I wonder what is taking her?"

I raised my eyebrow, "She need not change to floor me, though considering I'm only an inch off the ground, that would not be hard to do,"

Mr Stone looked at me curiously, "So I was right, you do care about her, and not just for her looks, but her personality,"

I scoffed, "Looks can be deceiving, after all, for years I didn't think you had many secrets, then I found you with Lady."

At that moment, Lily came out of her room and my jaw hit the floor. Even though it was a semi-formal dress, I found it difficult to compose myself; her dress was a dark purple colour with a matching shawl. "Chris, glad to see you could make it," She said.

After a brief moment of silence, I replied: "Well you did summon me, and I would never refuse your summonings."

She seemed slightly surprised at this, but thankfully Mr Stone covered for her by saying "I think dinner's ready for us, perhaps the two of you can help clear the particulars up for me so I can be of assistance."

I nodded and Lily held out her hand for me to climb upon and took me to the table to eat. He rightfully had many questions, largely to do with how we were going to go about this, but after dinner, while we were sitting in the living room, he asked the question that I had been waiting for, "Let's say that you two have a fruitful relationship and you decided to take the next step, what happens then?"

"I did some reading today, there was once a member of the Conductor family who had been in the same situation, and when he proposed, on Sodor mind, and they came back, they were the same size, granted the size of the Conductors," I replied.

Mr Stone nodded and leaned back in his chair before saying, "I assume most, if not all of your dates would happen on Sodor? I mean, it is the one place where you both are the same size,"

Lily nodded, "That is the plan,"

Mr Stone looked at us expectantly and when I cocked an eyebrow, he said, "Details! How did it happen?"

We quickly sated his curiosity and told him what happened this morning. As we told him, his eyes twinkled, but we didn't know that he had been hoping for this outcome all along. Once we finished, however, we both saw how he was looking at us, and while we did wonder what he was thinking, it got lost on our tongues.

* * *

Soon after we explained in detail what had happened, Chris left for Shining Time. I went into my room to change into nightclothes; it wasn't long before grandpa came in, I was reading one of his railway books, "How do you think that went?" he asked.

I looked up, I knew he was referring to dinner, but I wondered what he was getting at, "I thought it went well, why do you ask?"

Grandpa shrugged, "The first date is always important,"

I smiled and said, "I think we'll be going to Sodor for our first proper date."

"I wonder when Chris will have to go back to cover for Sir Topham again?" grandpa wondered aloud.

I shrugged, "For some reason, I get the feeling he might be going sooner than he expected."

* * *

As I would soon find out, Lily's senses were right on the ball. That night, however, I was focused on writing in the Conductor's Journal that I had found earlier that day. I had discovered it hidden amongst some boxes in the attic of Mr C's house and found a plethora of information regarding the Conductor family, it was where I had found out about the previous Conductor who had fallen in love. It seemed to have fallen out of memory soon thereafter, but I decided that it should be kept as up to date as I could make it; it was then that my telephone rang, "Mr Conductor speaking… oh good evening sir… well, of course, sir, but if I may sir, why now, it has only been two days since you've come back from holiday… I see sir… yes of course sir… good night sir." Sir Topham Hatt had called, he was being requested for some sort of conference and needed to leave in two days time, so I was being called in… again. This time though, there was no homicidal diesel wanting my blood, just keeping the engines in line. Though considering his tone, that sounded like more of a challenge than normal.

The next morning I was humming to myself as I worked, Mother noticed immediately. "You're in a good mood."

I looked up, "Indeed," then I realised that I had been humming the Thomas theme tune "Blasted children's show song, in any case, Sir Topham Hatt has requested that I fill in for him as he heads to a conference for a few days, some of the engines are acting up apparently, otherwise he would have entrusted the railway board on a smooth operation and I would have been able to rest from these adventures," I said, not seeing Lily come up behind me. "Sometimes I wonder about Sir Topham's operation, if the NorthWestern Railway can turn a profit, surely it can survive a few days without its controller, but apparently not."

It was then that Lily chose to speak up "You've got to go back to the Island?"

I jumped quite high "Gah, Lily, oh my, I probably jumped out of my skin just then," I saw the look of concern she gave me, "Oh I'll be fine, you just startled me, but to answer your question, yes, I do have to head to the Island of Sodor tomorrow morning, Sir Topham is heading out to a conference and it appears as though some of the engines are acting up, so he wants me to help out."

Lily looked puzzled "So soon after he got back from holiday?"

I grimaced, I didn't really have a good answer. But it seemed that Lily understood, "May I come along? If I ask grandpa of course," she asked

I nodded, "I'd love the company, but only if your grandpa agrees, he's the last person I want to be on their bad side. Especially if we want to continue seeing each other,"

Lily nodded and promised to ask her grandpa. We then spent the rest of the day working around the station.

That night I made sure that I had everything ready for the next morning, and Lily's bluebird had alerted me that she would be coming along. I hoped this time on Sodor would be rather uneventful, but, knowing my luck, I highly doubted I would get my wish.

Morning came and soon it was time for Lily and me to take our leave. We said our farewells to our families and I blew my whistle and off we went down the Magic Railway. As we went down it, Lily mentioned "Much better than our first time, isn't it?"

I turned to her "Ay, that it is, and yet I am not referring just about the line," when she turned to me with a confused look on her face I continued, "You look much better flying in the light than the dark, not as worried."

Before she could reply, we came to the buffers and came out at the grotto. Dusting ourselves off, I then took her hand and said, "And now, to Knapford," and blew it again, taking us to Knapford Station where Sir Topham Hatt was waiting. "Good morning Sir."

He nodded to me "Good morning Mr Conductor, I'm afraid I must be off, but I have no special instructions for you, just keep an eye on things."

I nodded and with that, he climbed aboard the express and was off. Turning to Lily, I said "Man of few words that one, I suppose I should check the office first and then we should set ourselves up at the sheds."

Lily agreed and she set off for the sheds whilst I walked into the office where I found Lady Hatt, "Lady Hatt, I must say, this is a surprise, what can I do for you?"

Lady Hatt walked over to me and asked, "Did Topham say where he was going?"

I nodded, "Said it was some conference, why? Didn't he tell you?"

She shook her head, "I fear the worst," she sighed.

"Now let's not jump to conclusions, I'll ask Gordon tonight if he dropped Sir Topham off at Barrow-Inverness and see if he continued on to the Other Railway, and whatever Sir Topham does, I'll report it to you ma'am," I replied.

She thanked me and turned to leave, but before she did, she turned back to me and said "Did Topham tell you about the new engine?" and when I shook my head, she sighed again, "She's a Great Northern Railway Sterling Single named Emily." I nodded and she left. I sighed, with my own mind thinking the worst, I wondered why Sir Topham didn't mention this Emily to me earlier, and whilst it was likely that he simply forgot, my senses told me something else was at play.

Later that day, I met Lily at the sheds, thankful that she had not yet met Emily and told her about what Lady Hatt told me, "If Sir Topham isn't at the conference, then where would he be?" she asked.

I looked at her "That is the million pound question, and honestly, I haven't a clue, and neither did Lady Hatt," I replied.

Considering the lateness of the hour, I shouldn't have been surprised when I heard engines rolling into the sheds, "Mr Conductor! What are you doing back so soon?" Thomas asked.

"Thomas!" Edward hissed.

I merely chuckled, "It's quite alright Edward, I must admit, I was surprised when Sir Topham called and asked me to cover for him whilst he is at some conference,"

Gordon looked perplexed, "Conference? Edward, is there a conference going on in Vicarstown?"

Edward looked unsure, but it was Henry that spoke up first, "Did the Fat Controller tell you how long you would be needed?"

I shook my head, "He didn't say anything over the phone or this morning when I arrived before he left on the express," then I thought for awhile, "He didn't even tell me that you lot got a new engine come to think of it."

They were shocked, especially Emily, who had rolled in during our discussion, however, my mind was spinning, and so was Lily's. "Chris, what if something else is going on?" I turned, confused so she pressed on, "We've only been gone for three days, and, according to you, this is when we would have been leaving for the last time," the pieces started to fall together but I still wasn't whole, "If it was a conference Sir Topham is going to, it would be about what happened whilst we were here, meaning he would have taken us with him, since he didn't…"

"... he could be anywhere doing anything! But what and how do we tell Lady Hatt?" I replied.

The answer would elude us for the rest of the night, but as we both laid our heads down, I couldn't but wonder what was going on.

* * *

 _ **AN: I should probably mention that line breaks from now on will signify a change of perception between Lily and the new Mr C. Please do leave a review, it's how I know if people are enjoying/have constructive criticisms for this story.**_


	5. Where dreams come true

Neither I nor Lily slept much that night, we were trying to determine what Sir Topham could be doing, with little success. The next morning we sent the engines off on their duties whilst we handled the administration of the Railway. And thus we settled into a rhythm that we carried out for a week, whilst one of us would carry out the tasks of the day, the other would scour for information regarding Sir Topham. Needless to say, we didn't find anything of use. Then, a week after our arrival, I was sitting at a desk inside the main sheds, Edward was keeping me company as he was feeling a little under the weather when he suddenly said "Mr Conductor? Have you and Lily gone on a date yet?"

I looked up, curious as to what Edward was alluding to, and in my stupor, I failed to notice Lily entering, "No, I'm afraid not yet, it was my hope that we would have come back at some point but rather than work, to be on said date. Why do you ask?"

Edward gave me this 'are you serious' look and replied, "Perhaps it is time for you two to go out."

It was then that Lily made her presence known, "I think that is a wonderful idea, Edward."

Turning to face Lily, I nod and moved to grab my coat and take her on our first of, hopefully, many dates. Dinner and dancing, though simplistic in of itself, worked well for us, for the food was superb and we were light on our feet, garnering compliments from other patrons.

Thankfully the next day, Sir Topham returned, we did learn that it was a conference he had gone to, but we weren't privy to the details. So, with that, we returned to Shining Time…

* * *

 _ **Ten Years in the future…**_

* * *

A young woman rocks a baby in her arms whilst humming to herself. Upon closer inspection, we realize that it is Lily, Chris walks in and plants a kiss on her cheek, "How's our little Emily?"

Lily smiles and returns the favour, "Just about asleep, how was work?"

"Busy as always, ever since mum and dad started publicizing the fact that Shining Time is the link to Sodor, we've been swamped with extra traffic," He remarked, then his face softened, "How is Grandpa Stone doing?"

"Nurses just released him, he's resting in the spare room," she replied, then a smirk crossed her face, "Apparently he was boring them to death so they figured he must have been feeling better."

Chris chuckled, "Sounds like him for sure," then a thought crossed his mind, "Say, I've built up several days of leave, how about I take some days and help out around the house since Grandpa's home?"

Lily turned pensive, "hmm, I'm sure we could come up with more things to do in that time."

Chris' eyebrows shot into his hairline, "With Grandpa in the house?"

Chuckling Lily replied, "Well, we'll have to take care then. After all, we've both been single children, I refuse for our daughter to be one herself."

* * *

 _ **All stories must end, and I'm afraid so must this one, I promise to update some of my other stories but I've also got some other ideas running through my mind, so I'll either see you in the next story or in an old one. Till then, take care.**_


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